Baseball Turnaround (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) [Hardcover]

Matt Christopher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Matt Christopher Sports Classics

Sandy is drawn unknowingly into a shoplifting incident, but when his community service involves baseball he meets people who help him finally put the past behind him.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7. After Sandy Comstock goes to juvenile court for some minor offenses, his understanding probation officer lines him up for community-service work as an assistant coach for a Police Athletic League team. This is just the ticket for Sandy, who loves baseball and believes himself to be an excellent center fielder. However, he is humiliated when news of his crime reaches his teammates. Fortunately, his family is moving to a new town and he has a chance to start again. Unfortunately, Sandy is so preoccupied with the fear that his new teammates will discover his secret that he fails to make friends. It's only after he learns to relax and be honest that he's accepted by his team, and his skills on the field can be appreciated. Despite the obvious message, this novel is not so heavy-handed that it gets in the way of the story. The action moves along at a good clip with plenty of stuff about baseball to balance out the accounts of Sandy's inner turmoil. The writing is always clear and the descriptions are accurate. This is a good, serviceable story for kids who enjoy sports fiction.?Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. Fourteen-year-old Sandy makes a big mistake, and it almost costs him the love of his life--baseball. Because Sandy has a brush with the law, his parents make him quit his team. He and his family move to a nearby town, where he joins the Raptors, and Sandy feels life and baseball are starting anew until he meets up with the boy who knows his secret past. Fearing exposure and rejection, Sandy must decide how much to tell to whom. Good advice from a probation officer helps Sandy decide what to do, and the absence of stress now improves his ball game. Christopher combines these struggles with descriptions of action-packed ball games that convey a feeling of being in the bleachers. Young fans will warm to Sandy's successes on all levels. Susan DeRonne

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 122 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (Juv); 1st edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316142751
• ISBN-13: 978-0316142755
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,999,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Matthew F. Christopher was born on August 16, 1917, in Bath, Pa. He was the oldest of nine children and a talented athlete, playing baseball, football and soccer in high school. He became interested in writing at the age of 14 and in 1940 had his first story published in a detective magazine. He began writing children's books in the mid 1950's with the publication of THE LUCKY BASEBALL BAT (Little, Brown and Company).

Christopher became well-known for his sports fiction novels for children with over 130 titles bearing his name. He was awarded numerous writing honors from state organizations as well as the 1993 Milner Award. Besides books, he had about 275 short stories and articles published in over 65 children and adult magazines over the years. He is considered America's best selling sports book author.

Matt Christopher and his wife Cay were the parents of four children and the grandparents of ten grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. He died in 1997 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Used, September 2, 2011

By 

Lynn Collins (Philly) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Baseball Turnaround: #53 (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) (Paperback)

Usually my shopping experiences with Amazon have been excellent. This time there was a hiccup. I ordered a new paperback book for my son's summer reading assignment. While we received it in 2 days, it came as a used hardcover in very worn and dirty condition. Amazon charged me for a new paperback. I didn't bother to return since the item was inexpensive. After reading the book, it was tossed in the recycle bin.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I like sports a lot and it taught me some skills., January 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Baseball Turnaround (Matt Christopher Sports Classics) (Hardcover)

This book was cool because it shows you what happens when your a bully. Like, Sandy and the other kids made a fire in that little place. The end was neat because he caught a ball that almost was a homerun.